Some of those lab reports that give a calculated value for LDL cholesterol levels may be too low. Researchers actually measured the LDL levels to compare.

After excluding the patients who had a triglyceride level of 400 mg/dL or greater -- in whom there are known limitations of the Friedewald equation -- the researchers examined data from 1,310,440 adults (mean age 59) who underwent lipid screening; 14.6% had a Friedewald-estimated LDL cholesterol level of less than 70 mg/dL, the treatment target for high-risk patients.

<<snip>>

Of the patients with a Friedewald estimate of less than 70 mg/dL, 23% had a direct measurement that was higher than that. That figure rose to 39% when triglycerides were 150 to 199 mg/dL and 59% when triglycerides were 200 to 399 mg/dL.

Just more statistical hoo-hah to keep customers confused & frightened and allow Doctors to "doctor" up the protocol to suit their boat payments. Everybody is sick. Everybody needs drugs. Not sick now? You will be, trust me. Pay the lady at the desk

Sign at Springfield Family Dentist: No matter how you're brushing you're doing it wrong

I am sick. Have been since 2004 and a near total health collapse to include still unresolved heart problems. All caused by lowering my cholesterol. Statins have adverse reactions. Low fat diets are malnutrition. Just chemical and physiological facts.

Am I cynical? No. Or at least not especially so. Am I knowledgeable and experienced? Yes.

If One is not a little cynical they have failed to grasp the realities of life.

Just more statistical hoo-hah to keep customers confused & frightened and allow Doctors to "doctor" up the protocol to suit their boat payments.

I had hoped to alert people to some interesting facts. I hadn't expected such a cynical response. I hope you never really get sick.

</snip>

There's probably something to that. Years ago I was at a dinner party talking to young dentist going to Loma Linda university to be an endodontist. He was excited to find that you only needed to do two root canals per month to make the payments on the maximum-size Mercedes.

Actually, the response is not excessively cynical but a prettysharp observation of "problem-solving"Most technical experts frame their analyses of data within theirown frame of reference.A surgeon is more likely to "cut" than another doctor.A pharmacist is more likely to consider pills.A mother might consider the value of chicken soup.A bartender might suggest a shot or two.

People define problems based on their own unique perspectives -and their own interests can impact their judgements.

Howie52Also tends to be a reason folks divide discussion boards based onpolitical perspectives. Folks tend to "mark" their territory.

Most times this results in a rather unpleasant odor which is notalways recognized by the "markers".

"Too late. I am sick. Have been since 2004 and a near total health collapse to include still unresolved heart problems. All caused by lowering my cholesterol. Statins have adverse reactions. Low fat diets are malnutrition. Just chemical and physiological facts.Am I cynical? No. Or at least not especially so. Am I knowledgeable and experienced? Yes.If One is not a little cynical they have failed to grasp the realities of life." - FCorelli------------------

If I wasn't still out of recs I'd give you one.

On this we can agree. My mom used to say to me, "life ain't a bowl of cherries you know kiddo!" At the time I didn't really understand what she was talking about..... but after 60 years of living now I do.

"I tell people that the only thing I've learned in 55 yrs of living is that I was right all along." - FCorelli

When I was a kid my mom used to always say "truth is stranger than fiction." At that time I thought there was no way that could be true....

Until I started reading popular physics books and learning about quantum physics. Then all of a sudden my entire world view was thrown into chaos. Atoms are mostly ghostly empty space, the sub atomic particles themselves are hardly like anything we think of as matter, being more like swirling eddies in a stream than a rock or a BB, able to communicate with one another instantly over vast distances, appear and disappear, etc.

One of my "End of Life" management plans (besides what I call the .38 Caliber Cure) is, after I get the diagnosis and prognosis, go home and start mowing the lawn at the hottest part of the day, or shoveling snow depending on what's in season. Of course this would require that I be either very old or very frail at the time.

If I had been Ronald Reagan I would have spent the last several good months of my life out on the North 40 chopping wood 8 g/d hours a day till I dropped dead.

"That's almost exactly what happened to tenor Franco Bonisolli at 65. Just after dinner one night...whamo!

Bing Crosby too. He was playing golf in Spain with the Spanish equivalents of Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus and just keeled face down at 74." - FCorelli------------------

"If I had been Ronald Reagan I would have spent the last several good months of my life out on the North 40 chopping wood 8 g/d hours a day till I dropped dead. "

Reagan was in great physical shape.

It was his mind that left him first...

He probably could have chopped wood 8 hours a day and it not bother him.

On the other hand, my dad suffered from clogged arteries and a sneak heart attack back in the 1960 timeframe that he didn't realize in time.....it limited what he could do.

He decided to go in for bypass surgery at age 72. He died in recovery as they brought him out of the 'suspended animation' process....had a massive heart attack that killed 50% of his heart muscle...and six weeks later...he passed away - 30 lbs lighter and barely able to survive...... He was unhappy he couldn't cut wood any longer for more than 30 minutes at a time so he opted for the operation...... they changed how they did things 10-15 years later to prevent that from happening to more folks.....

My paternal grandfather keeled over while fixing a bath after a date at age 80(!).

Given his diagnosis, I wonder if I may be doing my husband a disservice by feeding him healthy foods and nutritional supplements, reminding him to put on sunblock and get his annual dermatology check and dental cleanings. OTOH I let him take the RV to the Ford dealer for its 30,000 mile checkup without me (I just couldn't get it in gear on 4 hours of sleep. Alas, I live in stress city at the moment. BUt to the tune of Surf City this morning!)

Warping back upthread, my husband has not been the same since taking a statin for just a few weeks 4 years ago. Maybe it was a coincidence. But it's on his medical records now: No Statins, Nohow.